From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

Rating

4.5 out of 5

My Thoughts

I’m a huge Katie McGarry fan. Pushing the Limits was the first book from Netgalley that I read, and it was the first five-star review I ever posted on my blog. When I was approved for Dare You To, McGarry’s second novel, I was so excited, but also nervous. I had very high expectations, because I loved Pushing the Limits so much. I did drag my feet a little because of my apprehension, but once I started Dare You To, I was in love. Unfortunately, I did the same thing again when I was approved for Crash into You. After reading and loving McGarry’s two other novels, my expectations were sky high. Finally, after months of not reading Crash into You, I buckled down and picked up my Kindle. And again, I realized within a few pages, that I was an idiot for waiting so long to read this. Katie McGarry’s Crash into You is unputdownable, and I loved every minute I spent reading about Isaiah and Rachel.

There’s a lot going on in Crash into You. There’s Isaiah, a teen who’s had no easy breaks. He’s been surviving the foster care system since he was six years old (eleven years now) and he doesn’t really have any family. He’s also still upset after Beth moved away and started dating Ryan. And to top it all off, he has almost no money to his name, money he desperately needs to help pay rent for the bare-bones apartment that he shares with his best friend Noah. Rachel’s life is so much different than Isaiah’s (at least in appearances). She’s from a wealthy family. She has a large family, including four older brothers. She goes to private school. But of course, things aren’t that simple. Her family expects a lot from Rachel, things that Rachel feels she can’t provide as her true self. Rachel also suffers from very debilitating panic attacks. They’re so severe, that’s she been hospitalized before. Rachel is trying to hide these attacks from her family. So, one night, Rachel enters a drag race, a race that Isaiah is also participating in. And before you know it, things get dangerous.

I know, all that stuff sounds like a soap opera. But somehow Katie McGarry handles all these events and personalities brilliantly. There was never a time that I rolled my eyes thinking that would never happen. The fact that McGarry created these real characters in Isaiah and Rachel really keeps this story grounded.

I don’t know how Katie McGarry does it, but she someone created ANOTHER swoon worthy boy in Isaiah, one who isn’t like Noah or Ryan (her leads from her other two books). He’s so loyal, and he would do anything for the friends he has. He might look a little scary with his tattoos, and tough attitude, but he’s really such a nice guy. And once you join his circle of friends, you’re there forever. He would do anything for you. But that also means he take everything on his shoulders alone.

As for Rachel, the other protagonist in Crash into You, was someone I identified with on so many levels. Certainly my family is nothing like Rachel’s. And I know nothing about cars, and really don’t care to. However, her shy, quiet, introverted personality is something I understand. And although I’ve never suffered from panic attacks the way she does, I can completely understand where she’s coming from. Something that I really loved and appreciated in Crash into You is that Katie McGarry didn’t make Rachel overcome her fear of being the center of attention. I’ve read a lot of books where the quiet, introverted girl suddenly becomes popular and blossoms in all the attention. That really frustrates me, because as someone who is really shy, I know that that is the last thing someone like that would want, ever. Shyness isn’t something you can cure, even if you can find coping methods. Anyway, I’m getting off topic. What I want to say is that I loved Rachel, and you guys, she’s perfect for Isaiah. If you were worried about Isaiah after the events of Dare You To, rest easy.

McGarry doesn’t skimp on the secondary characters. Rachel has a houseful of brothers, and man can they be a bit overwhelming. They are ridiculously overprotective of Rachel in some ways, but other ways they were very unkind to her. Honestly, sometimes they made me so mad, adding to all the pressures Rachel already had on her back. There is one character that stood out though, even from Rachels rambunctious, attractive, brothers – Abby. She’s so complicated, and I want to know so much more of her story, and I desperately want her to have a happy ending.

There is one thing that I wished were different in Crash into You, and that involved the how the ending was written. I won’t spoil anything, but I wanted a little more detail in certain parts of the book. But I think that’s more because I loved these characters so much, that I needed to know in detail what happened.

Katie McGarry is one of my favorite authors. She’s consistently created such complicated, but wonderful, characters. Her novels are character-driven, but the plot is always well paced, and logical. Crash into You is definitely one of my favorite books, and after writing this review, I now want to read it again.

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About Quinn

I'm a twenty-something children's librarian at a public library in Central New York. I've long left my teen years behind me, but I love to read YA and children's books.
I have two adorable dogs. Ginger is a mix between a poodle and havanese, and Daphne is Bichon Frise.
Other things I love:
Favorite Movie: Singing in the Rain
Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favorite TV Show: Monk